Living Sacrifice
Romans Series
CCCAG September 20th, 2020
Scripture- Romans 12
This week we have some awesome news come out of Washington about another Middle East peace agreement. The current administration was able to broker a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel. That's a pretty big deal as virtually every presidential administration has tried and failed to reach any type of peace agreement between an Arab nation and Israel.
I was driving over to Marshfield this last week listening to the speeches as they signed this historic document. To put it into perspective- only two other times has anyone managed to bring an Arab nation and Israel together- Egypt and Jordan after the 6-day war in 1967, and the treaties involving those two nations were years apart.
This week, we had two countries in one day, with the promise of several more coming soon.
In one of the speeches, the speaker mentioned that as part of the deal, the temple mount, containing the Al Aqsa (ask-ka) mosque. That’s the golden dome building on the temple mount in Jerusalem if you ever see it on the news. It’s considered the 3rd most holy site in Islam, and marks where they believe their prophet Mohammad ascended into heaven. It’s expected that every Muslim should make a pilgrimage there once in their lifetime, but they have been prevented from doing so because of the continued conflicts between Israel and her Arab neighbors.
It got me thinking about how different people worship God.
For example- Muslims have their duties and obligations they must fulfill to do to make them pleasing to their God.
Buddhism believes in doing whatever you have to do so that you can achieve Nirvana- the complete emptying of yourself and your wants and desires so that you can join the universal essence.
Hindu’s follow the principles of whichever of the 100,000,000 deities in their pantheon of gods they worship. Essentially, it boils down to being a good person through your own effort so that you can be reincarnated into the next life as a better creature.
Even within Christianity, we have different ways of worshipping. Most of us have come from other faith traditions into this church and still cling on to some of them.
God has a very simple plan for how we are to worship.
We are to worship according to how He made us in the first place- as a spiritual being.
Because we exist inside these bodies we focus on them too much
Showers, feeding, exercising, looking in the mirror to make sure we look ok (expand),
We often forget that we are actually a spiritual creature existing in a physical body.
Our true nature is spiritual, and if you don’t get anything out of this mornings message remember that because this conflict between the spiritual side and the physical side is the source of most of our problems.
We will look at that in a moment, but I just want to point out- We are now in chapter 12.
One of the big ideas here and for the rest of our series on Romans is that there is a transition of thought between Romans chapters 11-12.
In chapters 1-11, Paul is strictly teaching Gospel truth and how the cross of Christ affects every part of our existence.
Now starting in Chapter 12, Paul switches gears and starts giving practical application of how this affects us in our day to day lives, and he starts with addressing this thought about who we really are- a spiritual being.
Rom 12:1-3
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Prayer
It’s notable that Paul doesn’t give us a list of things we need to do that makes us pleasing to God, but instead points us back to our very created nature and tell us that this is our start point.
So we begin with our Spirit connecting with God’s Spirit.
That leads to Spirit and truth. Jesus said broke that down for the woman at the well when she asked Him which place she had to go to or how was she to worship God-
Jesus answers simply- In Spirit and In Truth
To paraphrase what Paul is saying- “Tend first to your primary nature- your spirit. Exercise your spirit. Allow your spirit to grow and then you will be able to control your body’s desires”
Is it any wonder why the world tells you the exact opposite?
Get fit, get beautiful, have this look, wear this fashion, have this phone or smartwatch, drive this car,
Or something we are seeing right now in our country- support this cause no matter how harmful it might be to the nation-so that you can be admired by everyone else, and then you will find fulfillment.
This is how the natural person, who is not under the control of the Holy Spirit, thinks. They want you to stay in the material world so you can’t see the spiritual world.
That makes a person selfish. It’s only about them. That’s why Jesus tells us that you must be born again- to receive a new nature, a new mind, and a new heart. That’s why Paul tells us here
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
So what does that look like for the believer? How do we apply that to our lives in a practical way?
Paul spends the rest of chapter 12 giving us the is the application of the truth he has just taught us.
The first application and way to worship God in the spirit is this-
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself is to learn humility.
I will tell you this right now, this will be the hardest thing to do in life. But it is also the most foundational.
Since this is so important let me put this in its proper perspective.
The world would teach us that a humble person let's everyone walk all over them. No one wants to be the worlds doormat.
But that's not what the Christian version of humility really is about.
Humility, to the Christian, is a proper understanding of who is in control and who is worthy of worship.
Jesus is our example, right?
If you look at the life of Jesus, until he went to the cross, he never let people walk over him. He responded to his critics forcefully, without apology, but in love. Jesus was more interested in truth then in being popular- and that is the trap of many today.
These social media platforms and entertainment industry have made a generation that thinks they are deserving of admiration, fame, and notoriety and they will support anything that keeps them in that “Woke” bubble.
This generation exists in a mindset that is the antithesis of Jesus’ example and teaching
Most people think that it’s more important to be woke or popular then to stand for truth. That’s not humility- that’s pride in wanting yourself to be admired (which by the way is a form of worship). They will cloak it in fine sounding arguments but in the end, they are more worried about what people think of them then in what is true.
That’s why proper spiritual worship starts with humility, and in order for us to have that kind of humility, we need to trust that what God says is true.
Another way of having humility is understanding
it’s God’s will, not mine.
It’s God’s strength, not mine.
It’s God’s Spirit, not mine.
It’s even God’s gifts I’m using, and not my own.
This last week we had two very sick patients at work who desperately needed IV access so we can give them fluids and medications to stabilize them. Unfortunately, due to some of their past choices, their veins were extremely fragile and no one could get the IV’s to work and not blow.
I was able to get IV’s on both of them using an ultrasound machine to guide the needle, and the charge nurse was praising me for being able to do it.
I said, “Wasn’t me. I didn’t think I had any chance of hitting either of the veins I was aiming at. I just said a prayer and asked for God’s help and the needle went right in.”
I mean this is all sincerity- I have found that if I remember to give God the glory no matter what happens, it drops that expectation of performance on my part. I don’t worry about outcome because as long as I’m in the center of God’s will it’s his problem, not mine.
If I had gone into that room worried that people would think less of me if I couldn’t get the IV, then I’d have probably missed.
But I went in wanting to glorify God and help someone else, and God received the glory he is due.
Remember- if we always start with God’s glory being the source of our actions, we will always be worshipping him in Spirit.
The second way toward worshipping in spirit is to know your role-
4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
This is what causes most fights in churches- people who don’t understand their what God has called them to do.
God gives us specific talents and gifts to use for the good of the Body of Christ, or local church. Some have more, some have less. Some are really good at one thing, some are good at a number of things. If your church is really blessed, you have the swiss army knife person- that handyman that knows how to fix everything, and that person is a huge blessing to the body.
Paul gives us several examples to help us wrap our heads around this truth-
Prophesying- speaking the mind of God. There are two kinds of prophesying- foretelling meaning you are stating the future, and forthtelling meaning you are speaking God truth, guidance or will to the hear and now. In the church, forthtelling prophecy happens most often.
In fact, if the pastor is being led by the Holy Spirit, every sermon should be in some way a forthtelling prophesy.
Teaching the bible is another form of forthtelling prophesy- making the word relevant to things happening right now.
Serving is another gifting. Servants live to serve others. We have seen that in our church recently when several of you helped to paint the parsonage. I never realized how rough it looked until you saw it painted. Now it looks like a new house and thank you to everyone who had a part in that.
Teaching is another gift we see in the body, and in some ways that includes preaching and sermons. You might not think a lot goes into that, but on average for every 5 minutes of sermon it takes about an hour of preparation, so a 30 minute sermon takes about 6-8 hrs of study, preparation, and editing not counting the multimedia stuff that goes with it. Sunday school and Wednesday nights take about 1-2 hrs to prepare for so there is a lot behind the scenes that most don’t see.
Encouraging is another gift we see in the body- helping people keep their eyes on Christ. They are the exhorters among us- those who keep us grounded in the faith. This is not a drill sergeant that barks orders at people- not that kind of exhortation. It’s the person who comes along side you and says, let’s walk this path together- I’ll be with you each step of the way.
Giving is yet another gift. Some people, God blesses them with finances, property, and a mind that is very financially astute. Not only can they help support the work of the church, but give advice on investing, money management, expenses, budgeting and administration to the rest of the body.
Leadership is a rarer gift. I never really understood what leadership was until I was in the military. I had been in for a while and was now edible to be promoted to Sergeant.
I had completed all of my education, gone to leadership development school and got a great evaluation.
A date was set, and I pulled out my dress uniform, polished the brass, made sure the medals were in the right spot and in the right order, and shined my shoes and drove up to the brigade headquarters for my interview to be made a sergeant.
They asked the typical questions- what’s the range of an M16, what are the three general orders of a sentry, what is the correct command to order a formation to reverse direction and which foot do you call it on. Finally, it was the brigade command sergeant major’s turn to ask a question-
“What will you do with this rank?”
I’ll be honest, I was stumped by that question. Nothing like that appeared in the prep book they give you to be able to answer questions.
Nothing like that was talked about in school, so I was drawing a total blank. I started to sputter through an answer, and he held up his hand. “I didn’t really expect an answer. I asked this question to help you form a foundation that will make you a successful sergeant.
You are entering into a non-commissioned officer rank. You will be in command of men that someday you might have to order into a situation that will get them killed. That is a heavy burden for any person to carry. This rank you are about to obtain does not do anything but recognize what is already there. If we didn’t see that, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.
Leadership in a church is really no different. Whether you are a pastor, a board member, a worship leader or even an usher or a cleaner- you are taking responsibility for the lives of others and for the completion of the mission that Christ has given us.
Do so with all diligence, remembering that you will have to give an account to the one who saved us.
Finally, showing mercy. This is one of the hardest ones for most of us to do, especially when we have been wronged.
I’ve heard it said that when we mess up, we want mercy from those who are in a position to judge us. When people do evil against us, we want immediate and harsh justice.
A person who is spiritually gifted toward mercy helps those of us who might be more justice focused to remember that we are here today because even though we committed high crimes and treason against Almighty God, he showed us mercy.
We should do likewise when people wrong us.
That’s how we all help each other worship God in spirit.
Paul ends this chapter with an exortation that closely resembles Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5-8
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
NIV
That’s a high mark to live up to isn’t it? But this is where God is calling his church in these last days- to be true reflections of the body of Christ.
Prayer
